banyan in fort myers, florida

Did you know??? A banyan is a fig that starts its life as an epiphyte when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree (or on structures like buildings and bridges) and send down roots towards the ground. It may envelope part of the host tree or building structure with their roots, giving them the casual name of "strangler fig". The first banyan tree in the U.S. was planted by Thomas Alva Edison in Fort Myers, Florida. It was given to Edison by Harvey Firestone after Firestone visited India in 1925 and was planted in the Edison and Ford Winter Estates. The tree, originally only 4 feet tall, now covers well over 400 feet in circumference.